Dowden, Jones close out FHS swim careers in CIF finals races

Two Fallbrook High School girls closed out their Warriors swim careers in the CIF finals.

Paris Dowden and Jocelyn Jones were both on the 200-yard freestyle relay team and the 400-yard freestyle relay team, and both of those quartets competed in the consolation final April 24 at Granite Hills High School. Dowden is a senior, and Jones is a junior but a military dependent whose father has been transferred to Colorado.

As a team, Fallbrook's girls placed 22nd among Division I schools with 10 team points. "We only had two of our relays make it to the finals," said Fallbrook coach Sean Redmond.

An April 15 decision reversed a March 26 cancellation of the CIF meet, but adjustments were made. Normally the swim preliminaries, swim finals, and diving events are held on different days. This year the preliminaries, diving, and finals were held on the same day.

In a normal year, 32 swimmers or relay teams in each division compete in each event during the preliminaries with those with the top eight times advancing to the championship race and those whose preliminaries times placed them ninth through 16th competing in the consolation final.

This year, only 24 swimmers in each event were in the preliminaries with 12 advancing to the finals. The 16 positions with team points were reduced to 12. Diving normally involves 32 competitors in each division with 16 earning team position points, and the number of divers for 2021 was reduced to 12 with all being given position points.

A swimmer is allowed to compete in no more than four events, including diving, at the same meet and no more than two individual events. The CIF preliminaries and CIF finals are considered a single meet.

Dowden and Jones were the only CIF meet qualifiers in individual events, but Fallbrook qualified for all three relay events. Paris Dowden, junior Grace Goode, freshman Ava Dowden, and Jones were the Fallbrook swimmers for all three relay races at the CIF meet.

A time of 25.86 seconds placed Jones 16th among 50-yard freestyle preliminaries swimmers. Paris Dowden swam the 100-yard backstroke and had the 22nd-fastest preliminaries time at 1:05.97. Fallbrook's 200-yard medley relay team had a time of 2:59.94 for 15th place.

Although Fallbrook's best 200-yard freestyle relay time prior to the CIF meet seeded the Warriors 12th, they not only qualified for the consolation finals race but had the 10th-place time of 1:45.32. The Warriors were seeded 16th in the 400-yard freestyle relay but swam fast enough in the preliminaries to compete in the finals where their time of 3:55.24 gave them 11th place.

The coronavirus shutdown cancelled the 2020 CIF meet. "It was really exciting to watch all the swimmers, not just ours," Redmond said.

The Warriors finished second in the Valley League standings. "I think it was a great season, and I was excited for those girls who did make it into CIF," Redmond said.

San Marcos won the Valley League championship. Torrey Pines won the CIF Division I championship, and San Marcos placed second. "For us to finish second behind them I thought was great for the girls," Redmond said.